Rick Mogstad

Not sure if all Costcos are getting them, but I just noticed that they have Meyer Lemons at my local Costco (Vancouver, WA) for $6.50/4 lbs. I hadn't found anywhere to buy them locally before this, and had never actually tasted one. Now I need to figure out how to save them somehow -Rick

I find the Callebaut thin 60% callets to be pretty good quality, and fairly inexpensive. The formula is: Belgian 60-40-38NV, and it is a "3 drop" thickness. It runs about $6/lb in bulk locally. I think depending on how thin of a shell you wanted, you may have to add some cocoa butter, but I think for the price that it is pretty decent tasting chocolate. Is that more than you were looking to spend? Also, you are looking for actual chocolate, and not "coating", correct?

In what way would that qualify as a "scathing review"? It was actually pretty mild, and well worded. If one wants to clear their name, they would probably want to contact you in a rational manner, at which point most people would update their original criticism to include additional information. Completely out of line to call you personally with such an attitude, in my opinion. If you want people to love your restaurant every single time, then make sure they have a superior experience, every single time.

Sorry to dredge up this insanely old thread, but in the Chefette recipe, do you really not let the solution cool at all before stirring? Seems like it would be super gritty without letting it cool.

I have to wonder what kind of fresh pineapple requires quotes Whether it would be a problem or not was definitely a guess, rather than experienced info, but chianti cleared it up with much more solid info -Rick

I think fresh juice would be a problem, but as Chocolot said, using canned juice should not be a problem.

I have never had the problem that you describe, though they usually don't last too long. The only difference in process is that I egg wash them prior to salting, but I can't see that making a huge difference. I use Alton Brown's recipe, and they have turned out perfectly, and still been good a day later, without any noticeable difference. Granted, I have never been looking, specifically. -Rick

Might want to be careful with overheating. Sealing it all up like that it's going to have a hard time venting...

I have found that an apple corer (like this) works really well to get a nice consistent space in the middle for filling. I usually don't re-top them, just pipe on frosting or make the filling level and glaze, like others have said. If your cake is pretty light, you can fill without removing any cake, but if you have a denser cake, it can be rough to get enough filling without ruining the cupcake.

Put me down as maybe. I am not sure, but I would like to come. Also, put me along with the other novices .

I haven't made cinnamon rolls in forever, but my wife wants some for her baby shower next week, so I figured I had better practice. They came out pretty well, though they aren't quite "cinnamoney" enough. -Rick

We definitely have food shows of some sort on regularly. I rarely write down a recipe or anything, but often make little mental notes of something to research and try. I am much more of a baker, but I'm learning to cook adequately too, and picking up little techniques and tricks never hurts .

I have found that with marinades with a lot of sugar, its best to rinse it off a bit after marinating, and brush the breast with olive oil before grilling, then baste with (fresh) marinade at the end. Also, if I let the chicken sit out a bit before grilling I get a ton less sticking. I grill them around 350°F until they are cooked through, and they come out juicy and flavorful (and with nice grill marks, though I use porcelain-enameled cast iron grates, which don't cool down too much when the chicken is dropped on). Lately I have been doing nothing but brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and letting rest for 15 mins or so before throwing them on, and they come out great. I am no expert, by any means, so take it with a grain of salt -Rick

I have had a pretty difficult time finding a good strawberry ice cream recipe. Tons of them for a vanilla with strawberries. I actually started with the recipe for that, and ended up adding some pureed strawberries/sugar type mixture, and came up with a pretty good result, though it was on the verge of being icy (lots of water in strawberries), but it got eaten within a day or so, and it tasted pretty good. Wasn't bad for my 2nd batch of ice cream at least. One tip, for sure, is if you are going to have pieces of strawberry in it, chill them well before you put them in, or they will magically suck all of the cold out of your base, and you will have strawberry soup with frozen strawberries in it... I'm rambling at this point, but if you find a good strawberry ice cream recipe, please share here.

Finally picked up this book last week (based on this thread) after buying the Kitchenaid attachment a month or so ago. I just made the Gianduja Gelato last night... superb. My wife barely even complained about the mess, after tasting it . -Rick

They actually released it as a mystery flavor, in stores, without telling anyone what it was. It pretty much tastes like a McDonalds cheeseburger on a chip (you can decide for yourself whether that is praise or insult). So, the public actually approved. Also, Doritos have enough MSG in them that if you eat enough, they start to taste good, no matter what flavor they are... -Rick P.S. The second mystery flavor was Mt. Dew.... It was 10 times worse than cheezeburger.

A couple things I have learned in my first couple of batches of ice cream (just bought the ice cream maker attachment, so I am by no means an expert). -Turn your freezer as cold as it will go, especially if you are using the one attached to your refrigerator. -Chill the base thoroughly before churning, even if the book says "chill to room temperature or a little cooler" -If you add room temperature sugared strawberries to what appears to be nicely setting up strawberry ice cream, it will turn into frozen strawberry soup in mere minutes. This is delicious, and on top of it can be re-churned into delicious strawberry ice cream the next day, after re-freezing the bowl. -It's hard to eat a reasonable amount of ice cream when it tastes this good. -Rick

So, how much stirring is too much? Could you stir constantly, and still get reasonable caramelization? Should you cook it at a lower heat if you do so?

Cooked to 120 using a different thermometer, and it came out perfect. One more question. In each batch there have been little flecks of darker something-or-another. I suspect it is from the cream, as it tends to get little solid pieces in it a bit when heated. It doesn't affect the flavor, really, or even the texture, so it is purely a visual problem, but I was wondering if there is any way to avoid that (perhaps I could add vanilla bean and nobody would notice )? I thought about straining the cream to make sure those little coagulated pieces didn't get in there, but I didn't want to remove anything crucial to the reactions. Also, I can confirm that you can easily make a double-batch of this in an 8 qt crock pot, but a triple batch comes very, very close to boiling over (1cm from the top or so). It did boil back down after a few minutes, but I was definitely worried. Would not suggest it, nor would I try it again. I guess someone has to be the idiot to try these things though -Rick

I have made caramel using this recipe a few times (my first few times), and learned something each time. What I am wondering is what affects the firmness of the final product? Cream/Butter/Sugar Ratio? Temperature? I would like to make it a little bit less firm than last time, and I am wondering how I can tweak the recipe to achieve that. I have read through some other threads that mention using sorbitol, lechitin, etc. but I don't have these things on hand, and won't have time to find a place to get them before I need to make it. Is there a way I can modify this recipe to achieve a slightly less firm texture? I think the flavor and texture are wonderful, and everyone loves them, but when coated in chocolate, they can be a bit hard to bite (or maybe I am doing something wrong?). Thanks, Rick

Really, I am looking not because I was missing anything in particular, but because my old pans are showing their cheapness, and I am going to have to replace them. Perhaps I just need to find a good replacement for each of the pans I use regularly first. I did just buy a stockpot to make batches of caramel (my first foray into confections, and it went well thanks to this site ), and I think it is decent enough for my needs, but all of my other pans are cheap Calphalon or something we got at Target when $200 was a lot to spend on a set of pans. The nonstick coating is flaking off, and they just need replaced, so that is the real motivation at this point.

It is currently electric, though I prefer cooking with gas, so I will probably convert eventually. I suppose I am hoping to find some cookware that will work well in either situation (if possible), as I probably won't be in the same house as long as good cookware will last.

Thanks for the info so far. The link was working after I posted (I tested it), but it is product ID 444175 (here is the actual link http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11488027 ). Just in case it still doesnt work, it is the Mauviel 9-piece Cookware Set Item # 444175 I have spent some time on that thread and the Q&A, but there is a lot of info to digest (and I do plan to spend more time on it, as well ) The reason I am looking at a small set is that I can actually see a use for each of the pans, and know that we would definitely use them (at least in this set). I am not looking for the 12 piece sets or anything, but something that has the basics seems like a nice start, and seems to cut some of the cost rather than paying $200 per pan. Thanks again for the info. The site in general has an overwhelming amount of information for an amateur like myself (I consider myself a pretty good hobbyist baker, and a decent cook, but in general, this is a whole other level that I am excited to learn about), but it is really great to be able to have access to so much knowledge.

So, it's coming time for me to replace my $200 set of non-stick pans (which was expensive on my newlywed budget 5-6 years ago), and I would like to get something that is going to cook well, and last. I am certainly no pro, and I bake much more than I cook, personally, but we do cook daily, so nice pans would be something to invest in. I have spent a few hours reading over several cookware threads, and I certainly feel more educated , though I don't know that I can still spot a good deal. So, this brings me to my (first, probably of many) question. Is this set at Costco worthwhile? Looks like a good brand (from what I've read), but I still don't feel confident in my own ability to pick out a good pan from a bad one, aside from brand. I am thinking that it would benefit me to buy a decent set to start, and add to it over time. If there are any others you would recommend, please say so as well. $600 is doable budget-wise in the short term, $1600 probably isn't, but if that is what makes sense, I will save some money and buy it in a few months instead. Thanks in advance, Rick